Campaign: Adam Carolla Offends Asian Americans Again

MANAA needs your help to call and write CBS Radio and urge the company to severely discipline syndicated radio host Adam Carolla for his most recent offensive comments against the Asian American community.

CAMPAIGN: ADAM CAROLLA OFFENDS ASIAN AMERICANS AGAIN

Dear MANAA Supporter:

We need your help. Our organization has sent more letters of complaint to Adam Carolla than anyone else in our history. He recently took the place of Howard Stern in six Western U.S. cities and, two weeks ago, made more highly offensive comments on his syndicated radio show. We need your help writing to key people within the CBS organization so please read the transcription below and hear the recording, which will be posted very soon, on our website www.manaa.org

“Also, we were talking earlier today, non-sports related, but a competition nonetheless. They handed out a few days ago the Asian Excellence Awards. I know it sounds like a joke but these are real. They hand them out for movie [sic], for acting, and television. (Other: That was Sunday night.) Right. We played a clip earlier. Now play another clip of uh- It was a pretty exciting moment in the broadcast. Actually its not gonna be broadcast until this weekend, but I have some early tape on it. But play ‘The Best Male Actor in a TV show.’

(orchestra music and for the next 52 seconds, at least three “Asian men” saying combinations of (un-accented) “Ching chong, ching chong, ching chong” and “chong chong.” After applause, a woman says the same thing, as if accepting the award on behalf of someone.

(Other: “Guess that was the wife of the best male actor). Well, he was on location in Ching Chong. No, that’s the same thing, you know, just like they’ve done with the Academy Awards: Sometimes a woman who plays a man…”

Here’s a list of the host’s past known offenses:

1997: Playing the Mr. Birchum character on Kevin and Bean’s KROQ-FM morning show, Carolla uses the racial slur “Chinaman.” (KROQ general manager Trip Reeb tells MANAA he agrees the slur should not be used and that he told Carolla not to use it in the future.)

2001: On Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” television show, when guests are talking about the need for people to take responsibility for their own actions, Carolla once again refers to Chinese people as “Chinamen,” adding, “You just can’t catch them because they’re short and greased with Kung Pao chicken.” (In response, Carolla’s manager at the time, Howard Lapides, promised MANAA his client would never use that slur again.)

2002: On “Loveline,” the syndicated radio program about dating, Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinksy discuss a caller’s question about homeopathy. The woman questions their expertise in treating her health problem. Carolla abruptly dismisses the use of homeopathy, saying it’s as useless a form of treatment as “the fart of a dead Chinaman.” His comments are accompanied by a person speaking a gibberish Asian language.

In other instances, Carolla has made several references to Asian prostitutes and irresponsibly asserted that Asian men make horrible boyfriends and husbands.

When we heard Carolla was assuming Stern’s time slot for CBS Radio beginning in January- and because we knew it was only a matter of time before Carolla offended our community again- we tried getting a meeting with him in November and December but our e-mails and phone calls (six to his publicist, two to his manager) were ignored.

Even our press release detailing the latest offense was ignored by his people. Obviously, they don’t take our community seriously and believe that if they keep quiet, this incident will blow over. That’s where you can prove them wrong. Between Monday and Wednesday, we, in conjunction with groups like the Japanese American Citizens League, Organization of Chinese Americans, and Korean American Coalition, are asking our supporters to e-mail, write, and/or call the following executives who oversee Carolla’s CBS Radio show:

Let them know that Carolla’s hateful comments against our community have no place on the public airwaves (by the way, KROQ and “Loveline” are now also part of the CBS Radio network) and that Asian Americans, while only 4% of the U.S. population, command, proportionally, greater influence: Asian Media Watch points out that, according to The Selig Center for Economic Growth, Asian Americans spend $397 billion annually, which is almost equal to the total consumer buying power of Illinois ($406 billion), which is ranked #5 economically among all states.

Furthermore, Asian American buying power is projected to increase 47% from $396 billion in 2005 to $579 billion in 2010.

MANAA is calling on CBS Radio to take steps to severely discipline Carolla and insure these derogatory racial attempts at humor don’t occur again, for CBS Radio talent and executives to attend sensitivity training sessions sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association, and for Carolla to meet with MANAA representatives to discuss their concerns. Because Carolla has continually insulted the Asian American community, MANAA and supporting organizations will be targeting his radio show’s advertisers.

Please write and/or call the two executives named above now before you forget. And don’t forget our monthly general meeting next week (see below). Thanks for your time and support.